Global Chess League team
CheQ Mumba Masters at the Global Chess League 2026: Squad, Owners and History
The Mumba Masters, known as upGrad Mumba Masters from 2023 to 2025 and as CheQ Mumba Masters in 2026, were the runners-up of the first Global Chess League. This page covers the 2026 squad board by board, the owners and the team's results in every season.
Who they are
The CheQ Mumba Masters are the Mumbai franchise of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League. The team played as the upGrad Mumba Masters in 2023, 2024 and 2025, when upGrad was the title sponsor. For the 2026 season in Bengaluru CheQ became the principal partner for three seasons from Season 4, and the team plays as the CheQ Mumba Masters.
The franchise is owned by Unilazer Ventures, the company of Ronnie Screwvala, and is run by U Sports, whose CEO is Suhail Chandhok. The Masters reached the final of the first season in Dubai in 2023 and lost it to Triveni Continental Kings in sudden death. They finished fifth in 2024 and fifth in 2025.
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave has been the team's Icon in every season since 2023. P. Harikrishna coaches the 2026 squad.
The 2026 squad
Superstar woman
India. Three-time bronze medallist at the Women's World Championship.
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is the Icon of the 2026 squad. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Pranesh M play the two Superstar men's boards, Carissa Yip and Dronavalli Harika play the two Superstar women's boards, and Bardiya Daneshvar is the Prodigy. P. Harikrishna is the coach.
Vachier-Lagrave, Mamedyarov, Harika and Daneshvar all played for the Masters in 2025, when Daneshvar scored 7.5 out of 10 on the Prodigy board. Mamedyarov played for Chingari Gulf Titans in 2023 and PBG Alaskan Knights in 2024 before joining the Masters in 2025.
2026 season in Bengaluru
CheQ Mumba Masters are second in the 2026 standings after 4 matches, with 6 match points and 36 game points. Results last checked on 7 September 2026 at 8:44 PM IST.
- 1.Alpine APL Pipers: CheQ Mumba Masters 8, Alpine APL Pipers 10
- 2.PBG Alaskan Knights: CheQ Mumba Masters 6, PBG Alaskan Knights 11
- 3.Triveni Continental Kings: CheQ Mumba Masters 10, Triveni Continental Kings 9
- 4.Ganges Grandmasters: CheQ Mumba Masters 12, Ganges Grandmasters 3
- 5.FYERS American Gambits: starts Tuesday 8 September, 17:00 IST
- 6.Alpine APL Pipers: starts Wednesday 9 September, 15:30 IST
- 7.PBG Alaskan Knights: starts Wednesday 9 September, 18:30 IST
- 8.Triveni Continental Kings: starts Thursday 10 September, 17:00 IST
- 9.Ganges Grandmasters: starts Friday 11 September, 20:00 IST
- 10.FYERS American Gambits: starts Saturday 12 September, 20:00 IST
Full table and fixtures: GCL 2026 points table, schedule, GCL 2026 overview.
Board-by-board results
Every finished match of the team, board by board. A win with White is worth 3 game points, a win with Black 4, and a draw 1 for each team. Player names link to the player profiles.
Preliminary stage · Saturday 5 September, 18:30 IST
CheQ Mumba Masters8–10Alpine APL Pipers
Preliminary stage · Sunday 6 September, 17:00 IST
CheQ Mumba Masters6–11PBG Alaskan Knights
Preliminary stage · Sunday 6 September, 20:00 IST
CheQ Mumba Masters10–9Triveni Continental Kings
Preliminary stage · Monday 7 September, 17:00 IST
CheQ Mumba Masters12–3Ganges Grandmasters
Owners and identity
- Owner
- Unilazer Ventures (Ronnie Screwvala), operated by U Sports
- Names
- CheQ Mumba Masters (2026), upGrad Mumba Masters (2023 to 2025)
- Best finish
- Runners-up, 2023
- Coach 2026
- P. Harikrishna
Season by season
2023, Dubai, as upGrad Mumba Masters: Runners-up; second in the round robin, 16 match points, 83 game points. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave was the Icon, with Alexander Grischuk, Vidit Gujrathi, Koneru Humpy, Dronavalli Harika and Javokhir Sindarov. The Masters finished second in the round robin, two match points behind Triveni Continental Kings. In the final they won the second rapid match 12-3 and the first blitz match 14-5, but lost the other two matches and then the sudden-death round, in which Sindarov lost to Jonas Bjerre after three drawn games.
Full 2023 results and standings
2024, London, as upGrad Mumba Masters: Fifth in the round robin, 9 match points, 74 game points. Vachier-Lagrave was again the Icon. The Masters won three of ten matches and finished fifth on game points, ahead of Ganges Grandmasters on the same match points.
Full 2024 results and standings
2025, Mumbai, as upGrad Mumba Masters: Fifth in the round robin, 12 match points, 92 game points. Vachier-Lagrave was the Icon, with Wesley So, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Koneru Humpy, Dronavalli Harika and Bardiya Daneshvar. Playing at home in Mumbai, the Masters scored the second-most game points of the season (92) but lost all four matches against the two finalists, Triveni Continental Kings and Alpine SG Pipers, and finished fifth. They lost 1-16 to FYERS American Gambits.
Full 2025 results and standings
Notable players
- 1.Maxime Vachier-Lagrave: Icon in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, the only Icon to stay with one team for all four seasons.
- 2.Dronavalli Harika: on the women's boards in 2023 and 2025 and again in 2026.
- 3.Shakhriyar Mamedyarov: Superstar men's board in 2025 and 2026, after seasons with Chingari Gulf Titans and PBG Alaskan Knights.
- 4.Bardiya Daneshvar: 7.5 out of 10 on the Prodigy board in 2025, back for 2026.
- 5.Koneru Humpy: Superstar women's board in 2023 and 2025; she plays for Alpine APL Pipers in 2026.
More on the league: Global Chess League overview, winners and past seasons, Global Chess League 2026, all 2026 squads.
Frequently asked questions
Who plays for the CheQ Mumba Masters in 2026?
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is the Icon, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Pranesh M are the Superstar men, Carissa Yip and Dronavalli Harika are the Superstar women, and Bardiya Daneshvar is the Prodigy. P. Harikrishna is the coach. The team played as upGrad Mumba Masters from 2023 to 2025.
Are the upGrad Mumba Masters now the CheQ Mumba Masters?
Yes. CheQ became the principal partner of the Mumba Masters for three seasons from Season 4 in 2026, so the team plays as CheQ Mumba Masters. upGrad was the title sponsor from 2023 to 2025.
Who owns the Mumba Masters?
Unilazer Ventures, the company of Ronnie Screwvala. The team is operated by U Sports, whose CEO is Suhail Chandhok.
Have the Mumba Masters won the Global Chess League?
No. Their best result is the 2023 final in Dubai, which they lost to Triveni Continental Kings in sudden death after the rapid and blitz matches were split 1-1 each.